How to Appeal A Misidentified or Improperly Claimed Video: When YouTube Content ID Goes Rogue

It seems like it takes YouTube eons before they address an issue that is near and dear to the hearts of creators. We shout into an interminable vacuum and get no response, we don’t think they care. They are way too busy always changing the site to ever address problems. Well, a big one has finally been addressed. Yesterday, YouTube made it possible to appeal when ContentID wrongfully takes down a video and the content owner rejects an appeal. Is there a form? Of course there’s a form! But at least you’re not just hoping some dark, shapeless void takes pity on you and decides to run it up the ladder. You now have recourse.

Here’s YouTube’s video describing ContentID, for those who aren’t in the know:

How to Appeal When ContentID Is Wrong, So Very Wrong

There’s always been an appeals process, but in the past you were at the mercy of the content owner, likely a corporation who doesn’t have anyone in their departments that answer to “YouTube ContentID Claims Adjuster.”

But here’s what you can do when you feel like ContentID has gone bad:

You fill out a short form. Here’s the page where you can get options when it comes to disputing a claim. After sending in the form, the claimant then has to review the video and the reference material that was matched. If the claimant disagrees with the dispute and reinstates their claim on the video, eligible uploaders can appeal.

Uploaders in good copyright standing may be able to appeal up to three disputed Content ID matches that were reviewed and rejected at a time.

Additional eligibility restrictions may apply, including the date of dispute and other factors. Uploaders will also be asked to verify their account if they have not already done so. The eligibility for the appeals process may change over time.

Once a video has been appealed, one of two things happen:

the claim on the video is released

OR you’ll be sent a legal copyright notification. In this event, the video will be taken down and the uploader will receive a copyright strike. If they receive additional copyright strikes, this may suspend their YouTube account. You can learn more about copyright strikes here.

Now, I imagine you’re going to have to be more than pretty right in a claim like this. I mean, these are going to have to be outright ContentID failures, which is something that YouTube has been trying to improve over the last few years, improvements which they touted in this very blog post. If you used anything copyrighted, even slightly, you may not win this thing. But if it’s you and your dog outside throwing a Frisbee, and you made your own soundtrack, and ContentID somehow flagged it, you’ll have a case.

Appealing is finally here! Now…we wait for the horror stories.

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